The BBC say 300,000; Stop the War 800,000. Neither divulged their counting methodology but let’s split the difference and say over half a million marched on Saturday, November 11th, from Hyde Park down Park Lane and Grosvenor Place to Victoria, then over Vauxhall Bridge to swing right and follow the Thames up to the US Embassy on Nine Elms Lane.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman called it a hate march.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wanted the police to ban it, due in part at least to its “disrespectful” coinciding with Armistice Day.
On October 3, four days before the Hamas attacks, police closed Palestinian shops near the Al Aqsa Mosque, then stood by as Jews attacked worshippers. The site in Old Jerusalem came under Israeli control after the 1967 war. Sacred to both Islam and Judaism, Muslim worshippers have frequently been attacked here by Judaist zealots.
Here’s one two I didn’t take on Saturday
These two were so clearly and madly in love …
Can’t be sure Rangers didn’t do similar, but I’d be surprised …
I saw no trouble, and the cops behaved themselves. The lady’s shouting – to make herself heard – “we need to get through”.
What do they want – WW3 against a nuclear power? Or embargo of Israel’s despicable allies? They should say. 1
I’m saying nothing …
* * *
- That Gaza is a war crime scene on multiple counts, with the west complicit, goes without saying. But those who call for the Arab world, Turkey and – God forbid – Iran to strike at Israel haven’t thought this through. I’ve posted elsewhere on Hezbollah’s restraint, and that no major player, not even Tel Aviv and Washington – as distinct from their lunatic fringes – wants this to spin out of control. Nevertheless, as I wrote in the previous post: “at this acutely perilous moment in history – echoes of August 1914, when even at so late an hour none of the belligerents-to-be had wanted war – we can’t discount minor factors serving as tipping points.” In a footnote to the same I added,“it’s hard to see how, in the event of an all out attack on Iran by the US and/or Israel, China and a Russia showing signs of distancing itself from Israel could sit it out. The future of BRICS and BRI, and with it that of global south leadership – and with that an emerging multi-polar world all sane and informed people long for – would be in jeopardy.”
Thank you. Memorable images- beautiful people.
My pleasure bevin. I haven’t yet checked but I’m sure there have been similar events in all of Canada’s major population centres.
It would appear reasonable to conclude that the ‘lunatic fringe’ are in the driving seat.
I had thought that this incident….
https://halturnerradioshow.com/index.php/en/news-page/world/israel-strikes-40km-into-lebanon-major-escalation-crosses-all-red-lines
….might be a token gesture along the lines of what Trump did following the Iranian attack on US bases in retaliation for the Soleimani assassination.
However…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpGTWekA2sM
…..the Israeli Regime is seizing what they doubtless see as the initiative by advising civilians in Southern Lebanon to move North via a leaflet drop over the area.
This follows a similar drop – reported in Middle Eastern Eye…
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israel-palestine-war-gaza-identify-civilians-terrorist-partners-if-they-stay-north
….advising any civilians in Northern Gaza that if they don’t move out they will be considered to be Hamas terrorists.
This is in keeping with not only previous warning actions prior to the shelling of civilians but also of the recent statement from the Israeli ambassador at the UN who re-classified all the UN and aid workers murdered by his fellow Zionists as members of Hamas.
What seems very clear here is that the “lunatic fringe” are calling the shots in a number of ways. Not least of which is to designate anyone they deem fit as a member of Hamas. In the context of the shared objective of both Israel and its Western sponsors of eliminating/exterminating Hamas such a flexible extension – controlled and determined by the “lunatic fringe” – in which any and all opposition is defined as members of Hamas cannot be lightly ignored.
How long have protestors across the Collective West got before these rabid Zionist maniacs insist all who oppose this fascist ideology be re-classified as members of Hamas to be similarly exterminated to achieve the objective of ‘removing Hamas’?
How long before pressure is bought to bear on the puppet Governments of so called ‘Independent’ Western Countries to employ their armed forces and security services to treat such protestors as ‘legitimate’ targets in the way Israeli has already proposed in their own legislature – where laws are being pushed to enable the security forces in Israel to shoot to kill demonstrators inside Israel among their own citizenry?
Assuming of course that such conversations have not yet taken place?
It seems clear the Israeli Regime intends to do to Southern Lebanon what it is already doing in Gaza.
If this is what ‘restraint’ brings it obviously is not working. When southern Lebanon is turned into Gaza the choices will be the same as those before the Israeli Regime escalated the initiative it has into Lebanon. Will Hazbollah respond? Or will the aggressor’s be encouraged to go into Syria next?
Likud’s lunatic fringe aren’t yet calling ALL the shots. What do they want? War on Iran. When do they want it? Now.
I’m with Alexander Mercouris on Netanyahu having enough on his plate as it is. But the sitch could tip over for a multiplicity of reasons; hence my statement that we are at an “acutely perilous point” in history.
Thanks for all the comments above and for the fantastic pictures from Phil. It’s really heartening to see such imaginative placards and the variety of people attending the demonstration. I’ve always argued against the notion of ‘preaching to the converted’. Because it can be very isolating and lonely if you’re just shouting at MSM all the time. IMO, we need lots of positive reinforcement and visible solidarity to stay focussed, activist and ‘converted’! So I was really cheered by today’s pix and comments after listening to too much mainstream news-and-opinion today!
Incidentally, we had the biggest march and rally so far in Sheffield too, on Saturday. with powerful speeches from Palestinians just back from Gaza and a great choir song based on James Baldwin’s line: ‘The children are always ours’. There were about 5 relaxed looking police community liaison officers hanging around on the periphery. At previous rallies there’s been just one police van parked discreetly round the corner. This time, a load of them were parked some distance away and many more police on adjoining streets – possibly preparing for the worst with Millwall supporters arriving for an afternoon game – but well out of sight of the rally. And no overhead drone this time!
If I could split myself in two I’d have been in Sheffield as well Ros!
Thanks for the pictures of the many wonderful people who turned out for this display of unity and support for what remains of the long suffering Palestinian people.
Wish I could have been among them.
The Israeli forces are now gassing Palestinians.
The gassing of the Jews by the Nazis has always been the linchpin of the Nazi label within the context of the genocide of the Jews narrative.
The IDF have been looting cash & valuables as they go through Palestinians homes, murdering & uprooting them from their country(without the trains, many miles on foot) and now gassing them.
Where is the distinction that should exist between the German Nazis and the Israeli ones?
If there is one, I’d like to hear it.
The Nazi ideology was considered evil and yet our elitist and self serving leaders laying wreaths on the memorial for the dead who fought those monsters in WW2, might just as well have been pissing on the memory of those who fought & died to eradicate that monstrous ideology.
Regimes cross the collective West are now trying to ban BDS – the non violent answer to the Israeli Entity, should they succeed and they will, that leaves only the other option. It’s going to get ugly.
If ME countries don’t pull together then BRICS will fail. If Russia and China don’t unite over this genocide and step up to the plate, they will both undermine their big talk on unity & benevolence. As for the collective west, we may well reap what we sow.
Regards,
Susan:)
See today’s post, Susan. It features Caitlin on what a vociferous and utterly unselfconscious section of Israeli society really thinks.